Since we didn’t manage to get out for a romantic valentines meal we decided that we would have a pub lunch out in Durham, as we had driven past the Bay Horse in Brandon a few times before we moved we thought we would take a look. Stuart had Friday off work and with all of the kids being at school except Amelia this was the closest we would get to a meal out just the two of us!

The Bay Horse has recently been taken over by a lovely lady named Kay who spent a little while talking with us and fussing over Amelia, since we were the only people in for lunch it was lovely that we got a chance to talk and find out her plans for the restaurant, pub and hotel side too.

The decor is shabby chic and exactly my taste so I felt right at home from the moment we walked through the door, I think I even made a check list of pieces of furniture that I now need!

We were offered a table and handed our menus before Kay went and brought drinks. Amelia was more interested in daddies giant coke than her orange juice! Since they didn’t have a kids menu, Kay went to ask the chef what he could make for her and since I had initially suggested fish they offered to cook her some fish goujons. I ordered the steak with mash and vegetables, stuart ordered the burger and chips. We also opted for a side order of sweet potato fries.

Amelia had a little wander around while we waited for lunch to cook and we talked some more with Kay about what she had changed since taking over the pub just before Christmas. You can tell she has a lot of love for the place and that comes across in her passion and the way she was talking which is wonderful as this pub is set in the middle of a beautiful little village. I can see it being a regular with the locals but it is also well worth a trip if you are in the area.

The meals took a little while to arrive but I think that is generally a good sign as it shows they are cooked to order and not batch made. My lunch was beautiful, the meat was tender, the mash was creamy and the veg cooked to perfection. Stuart loved his burger and said it was filling and not overly greasy like some burgers plus he liked the fact it came in a ‘proper’ bun instead of a fancy brioche bun that lots of places are doing now! lol (He hates change!) Amelia is a little fussy eater so had a couple of her chips and one piece of fish but that was purely down to the fact she is a picky eater and prefers to graze! The sweet potato fries were a little on the crispy side but went down well all the same!

It was a lovely impromptu meal out and we would definitely visit again during the day, we would also still like to try it for one of the advertised Italian nights as we are huge pizza and pasta fans!